Thousands of Seals Die Along Desert Coast of Namibia

Tens of thousands of seals along Namibia’s desert coastline have died in the worst disaster on record to hit the country’s Cape Fur seal colonies.

Teams of workers Friday started clearing away rotting carcasses of seal pups, which apparently starved to death.

The fisheries ministry said that “unusual oceanographic conditions” had profoundly affected the fish on which the 750,000 Cape Fur seals feed along the southwest coast of Africa.

Ministry scientists estimated that more than 70,000 pups died in Wolf and Atlas bays near the diamond center of Luderitz, where 70% of Namibia’s seals breed.